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The excerpt represents the core issue or deciding factor on which you must meditate, and is drawn from The Crisis in Russia by Arthur Ransome: temporarily join forces, no miracles of diplomacy will keep
them from coming to blows. For all these reasons a military
collapse of the Soviet Government at the present time, even
a concerted military advance of its enemies, is unlikely.
It is undoubtedly true that the food situation in the towns is
likely to be worse this winter than it has yet been. Forcible
attempts to get food from the peasantry will increase the
existing hostility between town and country. There has been
a very bad harvest in Russia. The bringing of food from
Siberia or the Kuban (if military activities do not make that
impossible) will impose an almost intolerable strain on
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